Acclaimed Nigerian author, publisher, and cultural entrepreneur, Lola Shoneyin, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL).
The formal induction took place during the society’s annual summer gathering in London, where Shoneyin officially joined the UK’s premier charity for the advancement of literature. Founded in 1820 by King George IV, the RSL reserves its Fellowship for writers who have produced works of exceptional distinction and made lasting contributions to global literary culture.
As part of the induction tradition, newly elected Fellows sign the official RSL Roll Book—a historical register dating back to 1825. Shoneyin marked her induction by signing the record using a historic dip pen once owned by the 19th-century English novelist George Eliot.
Shoneyin achieved international critical acclaim with her debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, which was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 and won the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award alongside the Ken Saro-Wiwa Prose Prize. Beyond her written works, she has played a transformative role in the West African creative economy as the director of the Book Buzz Foundation, founder of the Aké Arts and Book Festival, and founder of the Lagos-based publishing house and bookstore Ouida Books.
Her election reflects a continuing shift by the Royal Society of Literature to recognise international writers whose work enriches the global literary landscape and expands opportunities for future storytellers.